Website design By BotEap.comSomeone just has to say, “Ho, Ho, Ho”, and you instantly know who they are impersonating. Santa Claus, Old St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Sinter Klaas are all names we give to the ubiquitous, legendary, white-bearded Christmas gift bearer, the embodiment of the spirit of generosity.

Website design By BotEap.comBut Christmas has become big business. Retailers have not been selling the “spirit of giving”, they have been selling the “spirit of buying” for centuries. We have lost sight of what the true Saint Nicholas gave us: the gift of giving, the altruistic and spirit-filled giving.

Website design By BotEap.comSo what would Jesus have to say to the highly commercialized 21st century of St. Nick, dressed in red Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa’s counterpart? If Jesus wrote a letter to Santa Claus today, this is what He might say:

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Website design By BotEap.comDear Santa:

Website design By BotEap.comI have the gift of an important piece of advice for you: Please remember who you really are! You know, the original Saint Nick and I are soul mates. . . we have much in common! We both champion unconditional donation, and our images have been misinterpreted and confused over the years. Just take a look at what it has been allowed to become! You and I have both been used to create guilt trips, which was never our intention, and people seem to think that we have nothing better to do than keep lists of good and bad behaviors, as if that’s the problem! But it’s important that you keep your focus and continue to do what you are here to do: spread the spirit of joy and unconditional surrender to the world. And man, you have to cut down on all those cookies and milk candies!

Website design By BotEap.comThis is how I would like people to say:

Website design By BotEap.com1 unconditional surrender of your time

Website design By BotEap.com2. Unconditionally deliver your talents

Website design By BotEap.com3. Give your treasures unconditionally.

Website design By BotEap.comSanta, you can help people understand this message, if you remember who you really are!

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Website design By BotEap.comSo since Jesus is speaking to the Saint in each of us, that part of us that truly understands the spirit of unconditional giving, but sometimes forgets it, let’s see how we can take His advice seriously this season of parties, when giving is attention!

Website design By BotEap.com1. Give your time: time is a precious commodity. We are so caught up with the gadgets and complexity of electronics now that we’ve gotten ourselves into a time trap! We are more pressured and in a hurry than ever. We are very concerned about what gift to buy for those people who do not need anything. What if we gave you the gift of our time? How many times has a loved one told you: “I don’t need a gift. Your presence is all the gifts I need!” Let’s create it and find ways to gift our time this season.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Give your talents: What are your unique talents and how could you use them to bring joy and love to others? Consider this: What do dolphins, pool plastic, the Guinness Book of World Records, and an Inner Mongolian shepherd have to do with delivering your talents? They all come together in a news item: the pastor’s name is Bao Xishun. At 7 feet 9 inches, Bao was confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest living man in the world. His arms are 41.7 inches long! What made it important in terms of donation? It appears that some dolphins became seriously ill after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool in an aquarium. Surgical instruments were unable to remove the material (due to the shape of the dolphin’s stomach, it is difficult to push the instruments very far without hurting the animals), so the vets decided to seek help from Bao Xishun. He was able to stick his arm into the sick dolphins’ stomach and remove the dangerous material! His unusual arms became the dolphins’ saving mechanism!

Website design By BotEap.comWhat are your talents and how can you use them to reach out to others and bring them joy and love?

Website design By BotEap.com3. Give your treasures: The important thing here is not how much money you have, it is the generosity of your spirit in terms of what you have. We saw a perfect example from when we had lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Mebane, North Carolina. Our waitress was wonderful – great energy, beautiful spirit, and very talented at her job. He made us feel very welcome while serving us with such joy. They took us to give him an unusually large tip, in recognition of the way he served us! When she saw her tip she thanked us profusely and then enthusiastically shared that she was using all of her tips this week to buy things for kids whose names were on the Angel Tree at the restaurant. Sure enough, we saw the tree and she opened her order book and there were four cut out angels in her book. She said, “Now I can go find some more angels!”

Website design By BotEap.comWhat are your treasures and how can you view them in a spirit of unconditional generosity? Believe me, you will be blessed many times over.

Website design By BotEap.comDo you remember what Jesus said to Santa? That’s the same message to each of us in one sentence: Remember who you really are! And that will make Christmas and New Years the best you’ve ever experienced!